The instant invention relates to the field of dental devices utilized in treating the developing oro-facial complex by exerting orthopedic pressure so as to alter, control, and direct the vertical and horizontal growth of the maxillary bone. More specifically, the invention relates to such devices which include a body of plastic material conforming to a more or less ideal dental arch adapted to be retained in the mouth and resilient wires extending outside of the mouth through which pressure can be applied to the body by means of rubberbands or the like connected between the wires and a headcap worn by the patient.
Heretofore it has been a generally accepted practice to use devices formed of resilient material to guide or position errupted or errupting teeth. It has also been accepted practice to use devices or a combination of devices formed from metal, resilient resins, and hard resins both fixed to the teeth and/or easily removable by the patient to reposition the teeth so as to accomplish orthodontic tooth movement.
It is also known in the art to correct malaligned teeth by applying pressure upon the labial, and lingual surfaces of the teeth to urge their occlusive surfaces into a correct arch with the maxillary and mandibular teeth having a corrected relationship. One such device which includes a body retained in the mouth and having wires extending outside of the mouth for attachment to an elastic band is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,046 to Jenkins for a dental appliance. The Jenkins device includes flanges extending from its upper and lower surfaces for urging the upper and lower jaws into a position corresponding to proper alignment of the maxillary and mandibular teeth. Similar devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,882,612 and 2,880,509 to Strickler.
The orthopedic dental devices of the prior art which are directed to realignment of malaligned jaws suffer from several shortcomings in that they tend to move the incisal edges of the anterior teeth more lingually than the root apices. The flanges provided on such devices also hinder lateral development of the alveolus and frequently impinge on the gingiva thereby resulting in pain to the patient and requiring unscheduled adjustment visits to the treating dentist.
Prior art devices which have flanges on their upper and lower surfaces require that the mouth of the patient remain closed in order for them to be effective. This is both uncomfortable and inconvenient to the patient.
Some of the present concepts of facial development consider the formation of the long face syndrome, high mandibular angle, retrusive mandible, Class II facial pattern, to be the result of some occurrences in the naso-pharynx that cause the growing child to adopt a posture with the mandible dropped or hinged open. This results in an excessive vertical development of the maxillary complex. The combination of the hinged-open mandible swinging down and posteriorly and the excessive vertical growth of the maxilla results in the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth failing to establish occlusal contact. The resulting overdevelopment of the alveolar processes leads to problems of appearance and occlusion that are extremely difficult and complex to correct in the fully grown patient, sometimes being of such a crippling character as to require surgical alteration of the bones and dental apparatus. Since the lower lip is attached to the mandible, it may also become trapped between the lower anterior teeth and the upper anterior teeth, and by its pressure, both working and postural, further distort facial development. The instant invention is intended to treat this problem while overcoming the limitations of the prior art discussed above.